The Stories We Wear

Sending it is even sweeter when you’re wearing gear that’s been there from the beginning. In our latest season of “The Stories We Wear”—our series about great tales of gear as told by their humans—Patagonia Ambassadors and friends Brooklyn Bell, Jenn Shelton, Zahan Billimoria and Fran Berrocal reveal the meaning and memories behind their favorite pieces.

Brooklyn Bell

“I don’t like to take up a lot of space,” says athlete, artist and Patagonia Mountain Bike Ambassador Brooklyn Bell. “Those pants forced me to really just shine.” When she first put on her mauve Dirt Craft Pants, Brooklyn wasn’t just field-testing gear. She was also testing her ability to own her space in her sport.

As she explains, proudly sending it in purple-pink pants became a lesson in leadership.

Fran Berrocal

Fran Berrocal knows that if you give someone a fish, you feed them for a day. But if you teach them how to build a connection to rivers, you feed their commitment to our home planet for a lifetime.

Before she became a fly-fishing guide in Coyhaique, Chile, Fran learned the ropes—or rods, in this case—in borrowed waders before getting her own in 2019. Now, she’s the one lending out what she’s dubbed her “new beginnings waders.” With all those excursions, her gear’s been through a lot, but its patches and scars only add to its history.

Fran explains why her well-loved waders make her feel like a superhero.

Jenn Shelton

“I don’t get that dopamine hit when you get a new thing the way I get a dopamine hit when I put on an old piece,” says Patagonia Trail Running Ambassador Jenn Shelton. That feel-good vibe is especially potent when she slips on her red Micro Puff® Jacket. She calls it the “best jacket in the world,” and not just because it’s been on a 10-day trek through the Dolomites with her 10-month-old son. No matter how life changes, the jacket reminds her that she still has a place in those mountains.

Zahan Billimoria

“Most of my early climbs were epics. I had no idea what I was doing,” says Patagonia Snow Ambassador Zahan Billimoria. “Did them all in that pair of baselayers. They were my earliest connection to the mountains … to my own dreams.”

The India-born, Switzerland-raised, Teton-residing climb and ski instructor first bought a pair of women’s long underwear from a sale bin when he was 15. That one score sparked a lifelong commitment to chasing powder. Precarious mountain conditions aside, the baselayers even survived 10 house moves over 15 years. He explains why he’s still holding on.

Filmmaker: Mattias Evangelista